Global Statutes
- Introduction - Charter - Statutes - International Coordination Centre - Steering Committee - Advisory Board - Member Organisations - Logos
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Article 1 - Name
The international association World Carfree Network (hereinafter, the network) is hereby created.
Article 2 - Legal Status
a) World Carfree Network as a whole does not currently have legal status. However, it does exist as a living, functioning global network.
b) World Carfree Network Europe o.s. is a European organisation registered in the Czech Republic, and currently serves as the network's International Coordination Centre.
Article 3 - Mission Statement
World Carfree Network is the hub of the global carfree movement, promoting alternatives to car dependence and automobile-based planning at the international level, and working to reduce the human impact on the natural environment while improving the quality of life for all.
Article 4 - Aims and Methods
a) to promote socially and environmentally responsible alternatives to car dependence and automobile-based planning - walking, cycling, public transport, and ultimately the transformation of cities, towns and villages into human-scaled, pedestrian environments rich in public space and community life;
b) to share information, skills, resources and experience within the carfree movement - facilitating exchange, collaboration, tolerance and understanding across national boundaries and language barriers;
c) to give local, regional and national organisations within the carfree movement a voice at the international level;
d) to spread the ideas of the carfree movement to decision-makers and the general public; and
e) to help promote and maintain existing carfree communities, and to work toward the establishment of new ones.
Article 5 - Member Organisations
a) Prospective Member Organisations sign the network's charter and send it in to the International Coordination Centre to officially join the network. By signing they agree to abide by both the charter and these statutes.
b) Prospective Member Organisations signing the charter are reviewed by the ICC. Within 60 days of an application, the ICC determines whether an organisation may become a Provisional Member Organisation - based solely on whether the organisation's policies and practices are consistent with those of the network. Organisations denied this status may appeal directly to the next Annual General Meeting.
c) The Annual General Meeting (AGM) reviews the membership status of current member organisations, and graduates the past year's Provisional Member Organisations to full membership status.
d) The AGM has the power to revoke the membership of member organisations in any of the following cases:
- the organisation failed to meet the minimum level of involvement within the past calendar year;
- the organisation's policies or practices are determined to be inconsistent with the network's charter; or
- the organisation's delegates or representatives are determined to be seriously and deliberately disrupting the network's decision-making processes.
In cases of ‘undue harm’ to the network, the Steering Committee may remove a disruptive member organisation with immediate effect.
e) In order for a member organisation to maintain its membership status, the member organisation must fulfill at least three of the following criteria within each calendar year:
- publicise the work and goals of the network;
- send in news and/or campaign reports for the network's publications;
- attend the network's annual meeting, or submit written input on pertinent matters of network development/direction in advance of the meeting;
- include the "Member Organisation - World Carfree Network" logo/link on the homepage of the organisation's website;
- be involved as a project coordinator or partner in at least one network project or working group;
- assist with the distribution of Car Busters magazine.
Article 6 - Individual Members
a) Individual Members are those actively involved in the network but not associated with a member organisation. Individual Members support the network financially by joining at any of several levels but aren't necessarily involved in network decision making. Those wanting to be Individual Members who cannot afford to pay may request a free membership.
b) Individual Members are not required to sign and send in the charter in order to become involved in the network. They must however read and consent to the network charter and these statutes.
c) Individual Members are free to initiate or participate fully in any network project or activity.
Article 7 - International Coordination Centre and Network Projects
a) The network is coordinated by an International Coordination Centre (hereinafter, ICC). This role is currently filled by World Carfree Network Europe o.s., located at Kratka 26, 100 00 Prague 10, Czech Republic. The network as a whole maintains the power to transfer the ICC to another organisation or group of people in any geographic location.
b) To comply with national legislation regarding the registration of non-profits, the ICC may be run by an organisation which has its own board of directors or an equivalent legal body. That body does not have any decision-making power over the network, but would be the legal entity held accountable in case of legal conflicts or actions in the country where the ICC organisation is registered.
c) It is the role of the network's Steering Committee - not the ICC's own board - to ensure that the ICC fulfills its ethical and project-related responsibilities to the network, and operates according to the network's charter and statutes. However, the Steering Committee is not a financial oversight body.
d) The ICC's staff operate according to the consensus-based decision-making process of their choosing. The ICC's staff independently make decisions regarding hiring and firing of ICC staff.
e) The ICC's primary responsibilities include project coordination, fundraising, administration and outreach. Projects to be coordinated include network publications and websites, the network's Resource Centre, and other projects as determined by the network as a whole. The ICC is to regularly solicit comments from network members concerning the development of its projects.
f) Other network projects, such as the AGM, can where feasible be coordinated in a decentralised manner, with project coordinators independent from the ICC.
g) A network project is defined as any international project on the carfree theme carried out by one or more network Member Organisations and/or Active Individuals.
h) The ICC does not have the power to centralise a previously decentralised project, or to determine that a new project must be centralised.
Article 8 - Steering Committee
a) The network's Steering Committee serves to engage in strategic planning, make decisions throughout the year and give direction to the ICC, all based on consultation with network Member Organisations and Active Individuals.
b) The Steering Committee must approve official WCN endorsement of any event or initiative, and cases where WCN as a whole would be joining another organisation or network. In cases of urgency, the Steering Committee quorum may be lowered to three members. Similarly, the board of WCN Europe may endorse under that name.
c) The AGM, not the Steering Committee, is the appropriate body to make major decisions affecting the network. The Steering Committee may however make decisions on major issues in cases where a delay until the next AGM would result in undue harm to the network. The AGM has the power to overturn decisions made by the Steering Committee.
d) The number of people on the Steering Committee must be an odd number, 7-13 people.
e) In the event that a Steering Committee member resigns between Annual General Meetings, the Advisory Board appoints a Steering Committee member to fill the remainder of the term.
f) One and not more than one Steering Committee member will be a member of the ICC staff. The ICC member is a full voting member of the Steering Committee. The ICC will nominate one of its members to serve on the Steering Committee, subject to approval of that nominee at the AGM. The term is one year. If the Steering Committee representative of the ICC leaves his/her job between AGMs, the Advisory Board will appoint an ICC member to fill the unexpired portion of the term. The remaining Steering Committee members will represent member organisations, with no more than one Steering Committee member per organisation.
f) A quorum - the minimum number of Steering Committee members necessary to make a decision - is five.
g) The Steering Committee will strive to maintain geographic and gender balance. Each Steering Committee member must be either a WCN individual member or active in a WCN member organisation.
h) The members of the Steering Committee are chosen at the Annual General Meeting and serve for a two-year term. A Steering Committee member may not serve more than two consecutive terms. The Steering Committee representative of the ICC is elected for a one-year term (see Article 8, Section f).
i) The Steering Committee will be responsible for choosing press contacts. The press contacts are not official spokespeople of the network.
j) The Steering Committee will select, from among the proposals received, the organisation to host a Towards Carfree Cities conference. The proposals will be submitted to the network's Internet listserv for non-binding discussion. The SC may seek assistance with the evaluation of proposals but retains sole responsibility for the final selection.
Article 9 - Advisory Board
a) The network's Advisory Board - consisting of 10-15 well-known, respected individuals in the carfree movement - serves to provide additional input and non-binding recommendations as needed, but not on behalf of any member organisation.
b) There is no fixed term, but Advisory Board members are appointed and removed by decision of the Annual General Meeting.
Article 10 - Annual General Meeting and Decision-Making
a) Decisions regarding the network as a whole are normally made at the Annual General Meeting (AGM).
b) Attendance will be open to all active individuals, delegates of member organisations, ICC staff, Steering Committee members and Advisory Board members. However, no more than five delegates from a single member organisation can take part in decision-making. The meeting process should allow, to the greatest extent possible, for the participation of member organisations unable to physically send delegates.
c) At the AGM, members of the Steering Committee, Advisory Board, and ICC staff have equal decision-making powers to all other bona-fide attendees.
d) Decisions that can only be made at the AGM include transfer of the ICC, dissolution of the network, introduction of member organisation fees, stipulation of the price of such fees, and modification of these statutes.
e) A specific consensus-based decision-making process to be used at the AGM must be chosen by the Steering Committee at least 60 days prior to the meeting.
f) If feasible financially and otherwise, trained, experienced and impartial facilitators will be utilised to run the meeting.
g) The Steering Committee will circulate a draft agenda for comment at least 60 days in advance to all member organisations, active individuals, Advisory Board members, and ICC staff. A final agenda will be similarly circulated at least 30 days in advance.
h) Minutes are taken at the AGM, which are signed by members of the (incoming) Steering Committee.
i) Outside of the AGM, decisions regarding network projects are to be made by the project coordinators and partners of each respective project. The staff of the ICC make decisions regarding centralised (ICC-coordinated) projects.
Article 11 - Extraordinary General Meetings
a) In an emergency situation, an Extraordinary General Meeting may be called by the Steering Committee, the ICC or the Advisory Board.
b) Notice of the meeting must be circulated, by the body which called the meeting, to all network member organisations, active individuals and official network bodies at least 30 days in advance.
c) The Extraordinary General Meeting decides only on those issues for which it was called. In such a case, the same procedural rules apply as to Annual General Meetings.
Article 12 - Communications
Communication and informal input/discussion take place on the network's Internet listserv, at various international meetings, and in other fora. The ICC will publish minutes of its meetings. The Steering Committee will publish quarterly status reports. Both of these items will be available to WCN members only.
Article 13 - Dissolution
The network ceases to exist by decision of the AGM. This decision can only be made if the item was listed in the AGM's agenda, and if the agenda was distributed in advance as outlined in Article 9. Should the AGM decide to terminate the network's existence, the AGM then decides on the method of settlement and distribution of the network's property.
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